The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has standardized the latest version of the Internet Protocol (IP), IP version 6 (IPv6). One of the main drivers in updating the IP standard was the fear of address exhaustion in IPv4. In particular, when IPv4 was released in 1981, it was thought that the IPv4 address space provided by 32-bit IP addresses was more than sufficient to support future growth of the Internet. However, the explosion in the number of computing devices in the past several decades has necessitated a larger address space. Accordingly, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, which support an address space that is orders of magnitude greater than that of IPv4. Other differences between IPv6 and IPv4 include greater support for multicasting, more efficient packet headers, etc. Despite the advantages of IPv6, many devices still use IPv4 due to existing infrastructure that supports IPv4. However, it is expected that IPv6 will supplant IPv4 as the dominant protocol over time.
Low-Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs) are one form of network that may use IP addresses to identify individual devices an LLN. LLNs, e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability of a device, etc. Changing environmental conditions may also affect device communications. For example, physical obstructions (e.g., changes in the foliage density of nearby trees, the opening and closing of doors, etc.), changes in interference (e.g., from other wireless networks or devices), propagation characteristics of the media (e.g., temperature or humidity changes, etc.), and the like, also present unique challenges to LLNs.